


Universe Enough For Now

by Selenic



Series: 'The Ghost' AU [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Kiss, Halloween, M/M, Movie Reference, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 21:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2707793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenic/pseuds/Selenic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney had never told John the specifics of how his being here would change things, claiming the calculations indicated that the less John knew about his involvement the better the likelihood of success would be. Rodney was a lousy liar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Universe Enough For Now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melodysparks](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=melodysparks).



> This is my very belated Halloween meme treat for melodysparks! ^_^ She asked for John/Rodney, and I recalled her once wishing for a sequel to a previous Halloween story, The Ghost ([on LJ](http://selenic76.livejournal.com/8227.html) | [AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/works/551762)) I hope this will shed at least some light on how things went. Hope you enjoy the treat!
> 
> A big thanks to [melagan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/melagan/) for encouragement and a quick review :) Unbetad otherwise, all mistakes are mine. Like I said, this story is a sequel, so it will make more sense if you read 'The Ghost' first, but you'll probably get the hang of things even if you don't :)
> 
> Crossposted [on LJ](http://selenic76.livejournal.com/51300.html)

 

Universe Enough For Now

 

The Halloween party was in full swing in the Gate room, Atlantis style, meaning there weren't many costumes but there was no lack of scary looking food or happy faces. John had found it hard to stop smiling too, but his face had started to hurt, and he'd gotten hungry.

Having cleaned his plate, John observed the crowd from his higher vantage point on the upper walkway, not really feeling up to diving in for seconds yet. He was content to just enjoy the fact that there was actually a moment or relative peace that allowed for the celebration; ever since he'd been mysteriously transported to a parallel universe, John's life had been full of all kinds of dangers. Still, he didn't regret coming. For now John was happy there was no immediate threat to deal with, and no Wraith or other monsters in sight, just a couple of bed sheets with holes pretending to be ghosts. 

John had to smile again when he spotted them. He'd bet good money one of them was Ford. John liked the kid. Ford was fun to be around, and he never treated John as an outsider. Not everyone was as nice, even if they were polite about it. Some were not even that.

While John's 'magic gene'—he could hear the voice of Rodney already in his head, starting another lecture on it not being 'magic', just biology, even if that was closer to voodoo that real science—had proven to be very strong and undoubtedly useful, John had struggled to find his place among the Expedition. Colonel Sumner had reluctantly, at Elizabeth's insistent request, given John military clearance to some things, including weapons training and the occasional off-world mission, but officially John was still a civilian.

A few days a week he trained with some of the Marines, mostly Lorne and his team, but other than that John spent most of his time with Rodney and the scientists, either in the labs or different locations within the City, figuring out what each Atlantean tech-of-the-day was supposed to do besides light up pretty. Yet once John had performed his trick and activated whatever was currently under scrutiny, he was usually asked politely to leave.

Rodney and Radek were different though. John could see them sitting on the wide stairs of the control room, both with a plate full of food that they only infrequently remembered to eat from as they were lost on conversation, as usual. With help form Katie, a botanist who seemed to have a crush on Rodney, John had made sure everything was citrus free. Rodney took his allergies very seriously, though John had yet to determine which of them were real, and which were brought on by the man being overly worried. It was an interesting contradiction that Rodney was more suspicious of things biological than any of the weird Ancient artifacts they had discovered, though he approached both with the same amount of caution.

Rodney and Radek were both insatiably curious about Atlantis and would have kept John with them 24/7 if they could have. Much to Sumner's annoyance, the dynamic science duo never paid too close attention to whether John had clearance for something or not. John also liked to think they honestly enjoyed his company, especially Rodney. John certainly enjoyed any time spent with him, though he didn't say that to Rodney's face.

So, maybe John wasn't yet completely integrated into the group, but tonight, he was just one of the partygoers, and it felt good. He loved being here, with these people, celebrating Halloween of all things. John set his plate down on the floor, alongside the few others already there. The Gate room was going to such a mess after tonight, but they would worry about cleanup tomorrow.

John was surprised they'd been able to set up such a feast. Shipments from Earth were still rare, and only a small percentage was anything fresh, so everyone had been more than happy to accept the Athosians' offer to assist with the catering. During his time in the Pegasus galaxy John had learned that they were not only one of the more hospitable aliens, but also great allies. Teyla, their leader, had helped the Lanteans form trading agreements with several other races, ensuring limited self-sufficiency if contact to Earth was lost. 

There was even a whole roasted something or another—courtesy of Halling and brought over from the mainland—half of which had already disappeared. People were crowding around it, and John would bet good money that more than one person would throw the mandatory 'it tastes like chicken' line. To be honest, there was some truth to the words, but mostly the meat had tasted like nothing John had ever eaten. Teyla had ensured John that everything was perfectly edible, and he'd found most of it to be very tasty, apart from a few unfortunate exceptions.

Despite the lack of other fresh goods from Earth, they'd still gotten a few pumpkins, thanks to Dr. Biro who'd had miraculously managed to get them added to the latest shipment. John strongly suspected that baking related bribery had taken place, as Biro was famous for her skills. Some of the pumpkins had ended up in a truly delicious pie she had made that hadn't lasted five minutes after being brought to the table—John had barely been able to snatch a piece for himself. He'd ended up sharing it with Rodney, who'd joined the party late. The ecstatic face Rodney had made while eating had been worth giving up half the treat, even if the sight had nearly made John blush.

He sought out Rodney once more, only to find him looking up at John. Rodney smiled and briefly waved his hand. John smiled back and nodded, then quickly turned his eyes on the food-laden table again. Otherwise he might end up staring at Rodney again, an unconscious habit he seemed to have developed as of late. Each time Rodney caught John doing it, he'd gotten the strangest look on his face.

The rest of the smuggled pumpkins had been carved, their grinning faces now forming the centerpiece of the large table. They were a much needed conversation starter, bridging the often awkward gap between the multitude of cultures present in the room, both Earth-born and native to Pegasus. A steady chatter had filled the air all evening, no doubt aided in part by the sweet wine the Athosians had been kind enough to share with them. Judging by the way it had warmed John's throat while going down, 'wine' might not be the right word. John was glad he'd only drunk one glass—he was feeling a little light-headed already.

Some of the scientists had also developed a way to produce a web-like substance, which the Athosian children had very enthusiastically helped to spread around, even up in the control room. A few strands had already stubbornly stuck to John's clothing; it would take days to get it off the consoles. But all in all, John thought, this was not a shabby attempt to introduce one of the most iconic of American holidays to their fellow humans and aliens.

Looking at the people below, people John had come to know and share his crazy life with, he couldn't believe a whole year had passed since his arrival. Just as odd was realizing that despite everything, he'd come to think of Atlantis as home, these people as his family. John had often wondered where he'd be now, if he had declined the offer that night. But the longer he stayed, the less he really wanted to know.

It was getting warm inside, and the happy noise from the crowd was beginning to sound too loud in John's ears. He needed a moment away from it all, so he headed out to the adjacent balcony and stepped into the fresh evening air. His mind wandered to reminisce on that area of Earth's northern hemisphere that John had once called home. It might be a cold October over there, but here the weather was pleasant enough. The stars were slowly coming out as dusk set in, and the sight of them reflecting off the calm ocean was both beautiful, and unsettling. The night sky had come to hold so much more wonder and terror than John had ever imagined.

John had visited Earth a couple of times, but he'd felt out of place there. That planet belonged to another John, one who had died in Afghanistan while saving his friend. John had heard of the fate of his other self on the first day, as well as gotten the official explanation as to why the search for an alternate John Sheppard had been necessary in the first place—the same story John had received from anyone he'd asked about the matter since. Another McKay from a parallel universe had sent a desperate message through a device like the one Rodney had used to find John. In the other reality, Atlantis had been taken over, and the Wraith had culled most of Earth.

There was a lot of complicated math involved, about probabilities of events and chaos theory that John had understood most of, to the surprise of his— _their_ —Rodney, all somehow leading to the fact that John and his strong ATA gene were the key to saving both Atlantis and Earth. He still wasn't sure how Rodney had known John would be the right... John. The fact that John didn't really believe in things like fate only fed his doubts that he might not be.

They had shown him the footage recorded when the message had been delivered; a more worn version of McKay, similarly ghostlike as Rodney had been when John had met him, talking with a group of people. John had come to know them by name later—Elizabeth, Sumner, Carson, Radek, and of course, Rodney. The ghostly McKay had looked exhausted from running and clearly wounded, and hadn't spoken much. He'd barely managed to send the data package about his calculations through the link before the feed was cut. 

One moment always stood out in John's memory, and it made John shiver despite the warmth of the evening. Rodney had asked his counterpart the same question that had ever since puzzled John. _How will I know which one of them is the right one?_

Or, as Rodney had put it: _How in the hell am I supposed to pick the right universe and the right John Sheppard out of all the possible candidates? No amount of calculation is going to help me narrow down the choices to anything less than a near infinite number of choices! How am I supposed to know the difference between one that'll work and one that won't?_ The answer had been simple, but the expression on the weary man's face far from it.

 _You will know._ Three words and a tired smile of such infinite sadness. But the blue eyes had held warmth, hope even. John had seen occasional glimpses of something similar in his Rodney's eyes, starting from the night they had met, but he hadn't yet figured out what it meant.

Rodney had never told John the specifics of how his being here would change things, claiming the calculations indicated that the less John knew about his involvement the better the likelihood of success would be. Rodney was a lousy liar.

Which is why the whole thing bothered John even more; Rodney hadn't lied to John about anything else. Not even on their first encounter, even though Rodney _had_ left out the fact that the fate of all humankind would end up resting on John's shoulders. The knowledge wouldn't have changed John's mind about coming anyway, so no harm no foul. John had been ready to die in combat when he'd decided to join the army. Instead of on Earth, he'd now face those odds in another galaxy.

Yeah, Rodney often omitted details, and sometimes outright refused to waste time explaining something to John, but he never lied.

"There you are!" Rodney exclaimed with enthusiasm as he joined John's company all of a sudden. "The kids are being sent to bed and we're just about to start the horror movie marathon, Lorne and Radek are setting up the canvas as we speak." John could have sworn the man had developed an eerie ability to appear whenever John thought of him. Or maybe Rodney had just been on John's mind more often these days. His cheeks were rosy and his grin wide, no doubt due to the warmth inside and the Athosian wine, and his eyes sparkled as blue as ever.

"I think I'll pass," John said quietly. The movies were old classics, and John had seen them dozens of times. With all the thoughts and questions the anniversary of his arrival had stirred, John was more drawn to solitude than crowds.

Rodney's face fell, the disappointment as visible as any other of his emotions; one more reason for John to wonder what he was hiding. Whenever John had tried to get Rodney to talk about John being 'the chosen one', Rodney would get this weird look, like it pained him to hide the truth but he still couldn't bring himself to talk about it. Each time John had let him skate around the subject, not wanting to see Rodney so uncomfortable.

Maybe it was the wine, coursing through John's and obviously Rodney's veins that made John push the matter again, or maybe he was the kind of person that couldn't let go off a mystery like that, but John found himself pleading one more time.

"Tell me, Rodney, how did you know?" John had asked the question enough times for Rodney to get it without asking for clarification. As always, his gaze would shy away form John, and Rodney looked like he was torn between answering and running away. John wouldn't let him, not this time. So he stepped up to Rodney and turned his face towards John, holding it in place by the jaw. Rodney shuddered, the blush on his cheeks getting darker, and his eyes were practically begging John not to do this—but he remained still.

"Can't be something so bad you can't tell me," John said gently, releasing Rodney. "I wouldn't be the right guy if I just upped and died before doing whatever it is I'm supposed to, right? So what's got you so scared? Do I get some alien disease? Lose a limb? Am I forced to marry the princess of a race of slime molds?"

The attempt at humour didn't work as well as John had hoped. Instead of smiling Rodney just bit his lip, swaying a bit, and John tried really hard not to stare at the mouth he'd often found himself drawn to, especially when Rodney was so entranced by whatever occupied his brilliant mind that he wouldn't notice a pair of eyes transfixed on his features.

"Come on, buddy, you have to tell me," John said, desperation creeping into his voice. "I know you're hiding something and it's killing me to think you can't trust me enough by now to stop." Rodney closed his eyes for a moment, muttering something under his breath, before giving John one of his more usual glares.

"You are so taking advantage of my inebriated state and weakened resolve," Rodney told him, sounding both angry and relieved.

"True," John said, a smile playing on his lips. Even slightly drunk Rodney was sharper then most people completely sober. "But you've left me no other choice." At least this way, John could still be certain Rodney offered the information out of his own free will. Relatively speaking.

"Fine, but remember, you asked for this," Rodney stated, closing his mouth into a tight line. He crossed his arms across his chest, and looked like he was about to start a lecture to one of his 'subjects' in the lab, apart from the less than confident frown on his brow.

"As you have a fondness for science fiction movies that have ridiculously little to do with any real science," Rodney began, and John really wanted to roll his eyes at him, but refrained only because it might stop Rodney form talking, "I shall use a reference that, while not completely accurate, might shed light on our... situation." Rodney paused, his frown getting even deeper. "I can't believe I'm going to do this," he grumbled quietly, then sighed.

"You remember when we watched 'The Matrix' all those months ago?" Rodney asked. John nodded—he recalled the evening because it had been after one of their first off-world missions. He'd been really tired though, what with having to run from life sucking aliens that had scared the shit out of him, so his recollections of the night were a bit vague. "You remember, when Cypher asked Trinity to say 'yes' or 'no'?"

John dug into his hazy memories. There was definitely something about a prophecy, this guy Neo was supposed to save everyone. Only he wasn't sure if he really was the chosen one... The longer John pondered, the more worried Rodney appeared, so John tried harder. He needed to know, needed for this invisible wall between him and Rodney to disappear.

Suddenly John recalled the scene, and the instant he did he could see it play vividly in his mind. That one moment had caught his attention, because it had resonated with his life at the time in so many ways, and because he had wished his question would be answered as well. In the movie, that one word had not only meant the prophecy was true, but also that...

"Yes," Rodney whispered, his hands resignedly falling to his sides as he closed his eyes, perhaps too afraid too see John's expression.

"You, you..." John tried in vain to grasp at words. He was the one because Rodney _loved_ him? Out of all the answers John had gone through in his head, this was not the one he'd believed he'd end up getting. "How could you have known something like that when we met? It's not possible! And even if it were, and you were, in, in—" He couldn't bring himself to even say it. "Why didn't you tell me?" John finally blurted out.

"Because I didn't want you to think you had to feel the same way for me for things to work!" Rodney snapped back, still refusing to look at John, waving his arms around in blind frustration. John grabbed them by the wrists, both to stop Rodney's form flailing and to just touch him.

"Will it ruin things if I do?" John asked, while using his hold to pull Rodney closer, and finally Rodney opened his eyes again. The depth of their blue was full of hope, and this time John understood what Rodney hoped _for_. And John couldn't deny he'd had some secret hopes of his own too.

"No," Rodney replied, still a little hesitant. "The chances of our, and Earth's, survival will not significantly diminish whether you do or not, you know, reciprocate. We can just be friends and it won't make a difference." Rodney smiled nervously, his gaze falling to John's hands curled around his wrists, but he didn't pull free. John could feel Rodney's pulse under his fingertips, a steady but rapid beat.

"To answer one of your previous questions, I didn't think it possible either, John. I believe in science, not fate, or any magical, instant bonding of souls. The calculations told me that the odds of you being the right John for me— _for us_ ," Rodney corrected, "were among the highest we'd gotten, but I didn't really _know_ until I saw that stupidly messy hair and the way your eyes lit up when I mentioned spaceships."

Rodney lifted his head, staring straight at John.

"I tried ignoring it, John, kept thinking what I felt was ridiculous. I even checked the prediction just in case I, or the other me, had made some sort of infinitesimal error that no-one had spotted so far, but I found nothing." This time his smile was wide and happy.

"The math of our future is an ever-living, only partially predictable thing," Rodney said warmly, bolder with his affection now that he had no reason to hide it, "changing with each day you spend here, but the strands of different probabilities are nevertheless converging towards a single truth." Rodney's eyes shone as he spoke, and to John they were brighter than any of the stars scattered over their heads. "Having you here makes things coalesce, us, the team, the Expedition, the whole damn galaxy is starting to mmphf—"

Rodney resisted the kiss only for a fraction of a second, but as soon as his brain caught up with what was happening Rodney's mouth began to co-operate in a most wonderful way. John guided Rodney's hands behind his back in an awkward embrace, and Rodney complied willingly, and then the rest of the world faded. There was only the warmth of Rodney pressed against John, and the sweet, sultry, delicious kiss, a promise of something wonderful, and who gave a damn what the math said about it.

John didn't need any more explanations, didn't care whether he was really destined to save everyone or not. John had Rodney, _his_ Rodney, and that was universe enough for now.

 

~~~ End ~~~

 


End file.
